Broken Bow, Oklahoma Trip

 This trip was very much needed after having a newborn and being in the NICU. It came at a perfect time too. We met up with our friends from Dallas who we normally travel with, although this was the first time we included to kiddos.

 

Coming from Tulsa, the drive was a little rough we took a back way into Broken Bow and it was very windy and had sharp corners. We got to our cabin and it was stunning. It was the perfect set up for our 2 families. They had the living room and on 1 side of the cabin was a master bedroom with a twin size bed and their own bathroom on the other side of the cabin was another master bedroom with bunk beds and another bathroom. We stayed in the bunk bedroom and it was a HUGE hit with the kids. We got there right around 5:00 so we hurried and unpacked the car and headed out to dinner.

We headed to Grateful Head Pizza Oven & Tap Room for dinner. Once we got there we noticed that the line just to order was massive! TIP: If you travel to Broken Bow and go to Grateful Head, order by phone or online. I called and ordered our pizza and it was ready within 10-15 minutes, we were able to bypass the line. While we were waiting for our pizza someone came out and started to turn people away because they were running out of food. I’m so glad I called. We took our pizza and went across the street to Beavers Bend Brewery. I have nothing but amazing things to say about Beavers Bend Brewery. We sat outside and they had an outdoor area with games for the kids to play at and the beer was outstanding.

The next day we rented a boat for 4 hours. We decided that the boys (excluding Barrett) would go on the boat for the first hour or so to fish, etc. I had prepared breakfast, a casserole, before hand so it was super easy to just throw in the oven the morning of. The girls met up with the boys around 10:00 and let me tell you, this lake was absolutely breathtaking. It was windy and chilly the day of so that was a little bit of a bummer but it was still fun! The only thing I regret is not bringing lunch or more snack on the boat with us. The kids were getting a little restless with not that much to do on the boat. After the boat ride we went back to the cabin for lunch and naps.

 

After naps we went to the petting zoo there in Broken Bow. This was a little disappointing, the kids had fun but they didn’t have as many animals as I was expecting and it was messy. They did have pony rides which the kids LOVED. We stopped by the Vojai’s Winery on the way back to the cabin and grabbed a few bottles of wine. We also did a tasting there, it wasn’t my favorite wine and kind of made my stomach hurt. Very fruity and sweet wines, it wasn’t kid friendly either.

 

Our friends made us dinner at the cabin that night and it was so much fun to chill and relax. After dinner we had smores, of course and then hung around the cabin and got into the hot tub. We love to travel with our friends and do well traveling together. We were laughing because we really complemented each other, things we forgot they had and things they forgot we brought. We didn’t have to run to the store for anything. We are already planning on our next trips together (couple trip and family trip)

 

The last morning, I had premade some quiches for breakfast and we just cooked those in the oven and picked and cleaned up the cabin to leave to go home. Grady did NOT want to leave and was so upset but luckily fell asleep on the way home. We also took a different route home which was much better.

Fayetteville get away (during pandemic)

Like many people we had a very different family trip planned but was cancelled due to the pandemic. Chad and I both wrestled with the idea of a last family trip as a family of 4, do we just stay at home, do we wait a few weeks, where do we go. We finally just decided that now is the best time since I am getting further into my pregnancy with our 3^rd child and didn’t feel comfortable being that far away from our hospital or doctor if we waited a few more weeks.

Planning a trip during a pandemic was a little difficult and a lot of the things we wanted to do was not open. So we got a little creative and made the best of our trip. We started off on our adventure on Friday afternoon right after lunch and headed to our first stop in Gentry, AR. We stopped at the Wild Wilderness which is a drive thru safari. They had safeguards in place, we unfortunately we had to stay in our car and not get out to feed the animals, etc.   However, the kids LOVED it. The animals came right to our car and the kids saw animals that they had never seen before. It was a wonderful experience and would love to go back when other parts of their park open back up.

That evening we headed into Fayetteville and checked into a hotel. The hotel pool was closed so I knew we had to find something else before Grady asked about the pool. We went to grab dinner before we headed to our next adventure. Grady wanted chicken for dinner so we actually made 2 stops, the first stop was for Chad and I and we stopped at Tacos 4 Life, it’s a chain but it was the first time we had ate there and it was amazing and luckily we have one in Tulsa. We also stopped at chick-fil-a and then we went to Gator golf for a little miniature golf. The owners were super sweet, Grady did NOT want to put his ball in the last hole and “lose” it, so they gave Grady an older ball for him to have. We also stopped for some ice cream at Shake’s before heading back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning, we headed to Natural Falls State park near Siloam Springs. The waterfalls were really close to the entrance and we were expecting to do a little more hiking to get there. The trails around the waterfall were a little dangerous as well but we venture on the ones we best could. The kids played a little bit in a creek, which the water was freezing cold and then we headed back home. It was a quick getaway and not what we had planned but we felt like we needed to do something with the kids before the baby gets here.

Oklahoma City Get-Away

Between Grady’s Birthday, the hustle and bustle of the holidays, this weather, and the rent house we are living in, we needed a refresh and get-away from everything.

We first went to a children’s play museum called Wondertorium and it was a blast the kids had so much fun and it was the cutest little place. They different “stations” set up. They had a water and arts station, a medical station, a theater station, space station, diner station, forest station, grocery store station, etc. Grady’s favorite was the water and arts station and Audreys was the theater station. We left the house around 8:30 and got there right before they opened at 10. We stayed for about 2 hours when it was starting to clear out and then headed to lunch.

I heard really great things about this waffle restaurant so we headed there and the line was out the door, there was a TJ Maxx right next door so we did a little shopping and then went back and luckily the line wasn’t as long. “Just Wafflin’” is definitely worth the wait and is absolutely amazing. It is worth making the trip to Stillwater just to eat there. The people are super nice as well.

After lunch we made our way to OKC. The kids past out as I knew they would before we even got out of Stillwater. We got to the Hotel and the kids were still passed out so we unloaded what we could and then headed to the Outlets but before we left the hotel the kids woke up and only got about an hour and half nap. By time we got the outlets the kids were a hot mess! We went to a few stores but the kids were just being extra so we packed up and headed to dinner. I guess I didn’t learn my lesson and we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Uncle Julio’s. Well the kids were overly tired and by time we waited for a table they were ready to leave. This was our biggest mistake, we should have gotten it to-go and then went back to the hotel and swam. By time we got back to the hotel we only swam for about 15 minutes and then it was time for baths and then bed. The next morning Grady kept asking if we were going to go swimming.

We like to book hotels where there are 2 separate rooms, a living room and a bedroom that way Grady can sleep in one room and we can sleep in another. Don’t know why because Grady comes into our bed and sleeps with us, so we were all in the same room anyways.

The next day we headed to church. We go to a church with multiple locations so we wanted to go to the main campus and of course it was a Sunday where they had a guest speaker. It was still a great experience to be at the church that started it all. After church we went to the Oklahoma Science Museum and holy cow was this place HUGE. We thought we would only spend 2 hours there but by time we looked down at the clock it had already been 2 and a half hours and we still were not done. The kids were not ready to leave but got something quick and headed home.

It was a great trip and we are now planning our next little family vacay. Sometimes we forget all that Oklahoma has to offer that it is our goal to plan more Oklahoma get aways.

Boston Trip - Part 2

The next day Chad found a restaurant that served eggs benedict, his favorite breakfast food. We walk a ways to get there and after we arrived we found out that they only serve eggs benedict on the weekends. The breakfast was still delicious. We didn’t have any plans for the remainder of the day so we decided to make the long walk to Harvard University. On the way we stopped by a brewery called the Lighthouse, we also stopped in an open house that we saw on our walk. It was so much fun pretending to be locals.

When we finally reached the University we had to use the bathroom terribly but when I went to go ask someone they informed me that there was not any public restrooms on campus. Although we only saw a little bit of the campus and the library is was absolutely stunning. We probably should have gotten an uber or taken the subway to get back to our apartment but we decided to walk instead. We had amazing weather when we were there so walking did not bother us at all.

After we got back to our apartment we took a short nap and cleaned up for the game. We ate at Cask n flagon which is right by the stadium. It was packed but as we waited for a table we had a few beers next door. The food was delicious and we met a family from California that was going to the game as well. After we ate we went straight into the stadium. Chad’s eyes lit up with so much excitement.  

The game was the highlight of our trip. The energy in the stadium was unreal. I am so so glad that I purchased the tickets for that Thursday night, not only did the Red Sox Win that night but they also got a grand slam! To say it was amazing is an understatement.

Everyone that we ran into has super nice and helpful. It was one of the best trips Chad and I have been on if not the best trip. We didn’t have anything planned and maybe that’s just how we need to do things from here on out. We will for sure be coming back to Boston.

Boston Trip - Part 1

Chad and I’s anniversary is in March and I knew I really wanted to surprise Chad with Boston Red Sox tickets. Chad’s favorite baseball team is the Boston Red Sox but he had never been to Boston or the Fenway park. Since he was turning 30 this year I knew I wanted to do something special. I found some tickets on stubhub for a really good price. I consulted with my dad and as much as I wish I was a spur of the moment gal. I couldn’t pull the trigger until I told Chad. I printed out the website and showed Chad and he was beyond excited. Seeing his expression made it worth it so I went ahead and purchased the tickets.

We waited a few months to purchase flightss and an Airbnb. We researched very very little about this trip but the one thing we did research was where to stay and everyone said that the hotels were pretty pricey and we really wanted the full Boston experience so we opted to stay in an Airbnb. It was located close to Beacon street and centrally located to everything that we did want to do.

I left all the details up to Chad, where he wanted to eat/what he wanted to do, etc. A week before we left for our trip we still did not have anything planned. Chad wanted to wing it, and if anyone knows me they know I am not a fly by your seat kind of person.

The day we left we had inspections on our house and it was a total mess. We also didn’t know that the buyer was going to be there during inspections so we apologized as we were running out the door. We left late on a Tuesday and didn’t get into Boston until around midnight. I was wiped and ready to call it a night plus we were in a city we’ve never been to before and did not feel safe roaming the streets at night.  Chad on the other hand was too excited but of course I won that battle and told him to just look out the windows of our uber on the way to our Airbnb and as soon as we arrived we passed straight out.

The next day we woke up and just started walking to find a place to eat. We ended up eating at The Pavement, and it was one of my favorite breakfast bagel sandwiches and latte’s. We sat on the patio in complete awe. This city is absolutely beautiful and not like any other place we had been before. We started to just walk after breakfast and ran across a TJ Maxx. Of course we had to stop in, plus I got the brilliant idea that they would probably have Boston Red Sox attire for way cheaper than getting it at a specialty store or the stadium. Luckily I was right and I got a tank top, shirt, and Chad got a shirt all for the price of 1 shirt you could get at the stadium, BAM.

Since our apartment was close to everything we headed back to drop off our bags. We then knew we wanted to do something historical so we headed to Beacon Park grabbed a few beers from the Cheers restaurant and headed on the freedom walk. It is a free tour but you can pay for a guide. We ended up walking to several of the monuments but not all of them and ventured a little off path to find a lobster roll. We went to Neptunes (which I simply googled “best lobster rolls in Boston”) but the wait was over an hour long so there was another place right next door called Pauli’s, which was also on the best lobster rolls list. I should have known that I wasn’t going to love it cause I’m not a lobster fan but Chad thought it was pretty good.

We started to head back and ran across Boston’s version of “Italian City” and we saw a HUGE line for Mike’s pastry. I asked Chad if he wanted something and he said no so we went to a coffee house next door called Caffé Vittoria, hands down the best coffee I have ever had. As we were sitting there we kept seeing people with the Mike’s pastry boxes and walking in and out and taking pictures. I asked Chad again and this time he said Yes!!! The place was CRAZY, we got a cannoli and a cheesecake and rushed out of there before getting trampled. After all the walking we opted to get an uber to ride back to our apartment. That night we walked over to Fenway Park where there was a game going on and ate at the Wahlburgers restaurant. We got one of their seasonal burgers and it was heaven on a plate. Best burger hands down. After dinner we went to use the restroom at a hotel across the street from Fenway. We saw a sign for a rooftop bar and as a guest was leaving the elevator we hopped on. Pretty sure we weren’t supposed to be up there, but it was beautiful.

(this turned into a super long post so I'm breaking it up into 2, stay tuned)